Vehicle and terminal device location determining system, and method

ABSTRACT

An information processing system includes a vehicle, a terminal device, and a server that can communicate with the vehicle and the terminal device. The vehicle repeatedly transmits positional information on the vehicle to the server at predetermined timings. The terminal device repeatedly transmits user identification information for identifying a user of the terminal device and positional information on the terminal device to the server at predetermined timings. The server determines, based on the positional information on the vehicle and the positional information on the terminal device, whether or not the terminal device is located in a reference region within a predetermined distance from the vehicle, and determines, based on the user identification information, that the user of the terminal device is on board the vehicle, when it is determined that the terminal device is located in the reference region.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/725,237 filed on Dec. 23, 2019, which claims the benefit of priorityof Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-019132 filed on Feb. 5, 2019.The entire disclosures of the prior applications are incorporated hereinby reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The disclosure relates to an information processing system, a program,and an information processing method.

2. Description of Related Art

Conventionally, there is known an art of managing on-board informationon at least one passenger in a vehicle such as a bus or the like. Forexample, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-162740 (JP2003-162740 A), there is disclosed an automatic ticket checking devicethat performs a ticket checking process through the use of a noncontactintegrated circuit (IC) card as a ticket.

SUMMARY

However, according to the conventional art, each of the passengers needsto present the noncontact IC card or the like used as the ticket at aposition where short-distance radio communication with the automaticticket checking device is possible, in getting on or off the vehicle.Therefore, each of the passengers may find it burdensome to present thenoncontact IC card, for example, when he or she carries many pieces ofluggage. Accordingly, there is room for improvement in theuser-friendliness of the art of managing on-board information on thepassengers in the vehicle.

It is an object of the disclosure, which has been made in view of theforegoing circumstances, to provide an information processing system, aprogram, and an information processing method that improve theuser-friendliness of the art of managing on-board information on atleast one passenger in a vehicle.

An information processing system according to one aspect of thedisclosure is an information processing system that includes a vehicle,a terminal device, and a server that can communicate with the vehicleand the terminal device. The vehicle repeatedly transmits positionalinformation on the vehicle to the server at predetermined timings. Theterminal device repeatedly transmits user identification information foridentifying a user of the terminal device and positional information onthe terminal device to the server at predetermined timings. The serverdetermines, based on the positional information on the vehicle and thepositional information on the terminal device, whether or not theterminal device is located in a reference region within a predetermineddistance from the vehicle, and determines, based on the useridentification information, that the user of the terminal device is onboard the vehicle, when it is determined that the terminal device islocated in the reference region.

A program according to another aspect of the disclosure causes a serverthat can communicate with a vehicle and a terminal device to carry out astep of repeatedly receiving, from the vehicle, positional informationon the vehicle at predetermined timings, a step of repeatedly receiving,from the terminal device, user identification information foridentifying a user of the terminal device and positional information onthe terminal device at predetermined timings, a step of determining,based on the positional information on the vehicle and the positionalinformation on the terminal device, whether or not the terminal deviceis located in a reference region within a predetermined distance fromthe vehicle, and a step of determining that the user of the terminaldevice is on board the vehicle when it is determined that the terminaldevice is located in the reference region.

An information processing method according to still another aspect ofthe disclosure is an information processing method that is carried outby an information processing system including a vehicle, a terminaldevice, and a server that can communicate with the vehicle and theterminal device. The method includes a step in which the vehiclerepeatedly transmits positional information on the vehicle to the serverat predetermined timings, a step in which the terminal device repeatedlytransmits user identification information for identifying a user of theterminal device and positional information on the terminal device to theserver at predetermined timings, a step in which the server determines,based on the positional information on the vehicle and the positionalinformation on the terminal device, whether or not the terminal deviceis located in a reference region within a predetermined distance fromthe vehicle, and a step of determining that the user of the terminaldevice is on board the vehicle when it is determined that the terminaldevice is located in the reference region.

According to the information processing system, the program, and theinformation processing method according to the aspects of thedisclosure, the user-friendliness of the art of managing on-boardinformation on at least one passenger in a vehicle is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of anexemplary embodiment will be described below with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which like numerals denote like elements, andwherein:

FIG. 1 is a view showing the schematic configuration of an informationprocessing system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of avehicle that is included in the information processing system;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of aterminal device that is included in the information processing system;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of aserver that is included in the information processing system;

FIG. 5 is a view showing an example of positional information on thevehicle that is stored in the server;

FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of positional information on theterminal device that is stored in the server;

FIG. 7 is a view showing positional information on the vehicle and theterminal device specified by the information processing system; and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process of the server.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

The embodiment will be described hereinafter.

(Configuration of Information Processing System) The outline of aninformation processing system 1 according to the embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 1. The information processing system 1includes vehicles 10, terminal devices 20, and a server 30. Each of thevehicles 10 is, for example, a bus, but is not limited thereto. Each ofthe vehicles 10 may be any vehicle that has a passenger on board totransport the passenger, such as a taxi or the like. Each of theterminal devices 20 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone or thelike, but is not limited thereto. Each of the terminal devices 20 may beany information processing device that can be taken along by thepassenger. The server 30 includes a single information processing deviceor a plurality of information processing devices (e.g., server devices)that can communicate with one another. Each of the vehicles 10 and theterminal devices 20 can communicate with the server 30 via a network 40including, for example, a mobile communication network and the Internetor the like. For the sake of simple explanation, the two vehicles 10,the two terminal devices 20, and the single server 30 are shown inFIG. 1. However, the information processing system 1 may include anynumber of vehicles 10, any number of terminal devices 20, and any numberof servers 30.

First of all, the outline of the present embodiment will be described,and the details thereof will be described later. The informationprocessing system 1 is used to manage on-board information on at leastpassenger in each of the vehicles 10. Each of the vehicles 10 measures aposition of the own vehicle by, for example, communicating with a globalpositioning system (GPS) satellite. Each of the vehicles 10 transmitsmeasured positional information on each of the vehicles 10 to the server30 via the network 40. As is the case with each of the vehicles 10, eachof the terminal devices 20 also measures a position of the own device bycommunicating with the GPS satellite. Each of the terminal devices 20transmits the measured positional information on each of the terminaldevices 20 and user identification information for identifying a user ofeach of the terminal devices 20 to the server 30 via the network 40.

The server 30 determines, based on the positional information on each ofthe vehicles 10 and the positional information on each of the terminaldevices 20, whether or not each of the terminal devices 20 is located ina reference region within a predetermined distance from each of thevehicles 10. When it is determined that each of the terminal devices 20is located in the reference region, the server 30 determines, based onthe user identification information received from each of the terminaldevices 20, that the user of each of the terminal devices 20 is on boardeach of the vehicles 10 as a passenger. Thus, the information processingsystem 1 can determine whether or not the passenger is on board each ofthe vehicles 10, by communicating with each of the terminal devices 20held by the passenger, without requiring the passenger in each of thevehicles 10 to perform an operation of, for example, placing anoncontact IC card over a reading device. Accordingly, theuser-friendliness of the art of managing on-board information on the atleast one passenger in each of the vehicles 10 is improved.

Next, respective components of the information processing system 1 willbe described in detail.

(Configuration of Vehicle) The configuration of each of the vehicles 10in the information processing system 1 will be described in detail. Asshown in FIG. 2 in the form of a block diagram, each of the vehicles 10is equipped with a communication unit 11, a positioning unit 12, astorage unit 13, an output unit 14, and a control unit 15. Each of thecommunication unit 11, the positioning unit 12, the storage unit 13, theoutput unit 14, and the control unit 15 may be built into each of thevehicles 10, or may be removably provided in each of the vehicles 10. Inthe case where each of the communication unit 11, the positioning unit12, the storage unit 13, the output unit 14, and the control unit 15 isremovably provided in each of the vehicles 10, each of the communicationunit 11, the positioning unit 12, the storage unit 13, the output unit14, and the control unit 15 may be provided in the informationprocessing device that is removable from each of the vehicles 10. Thecommunication unit 11, the positioning unit 12, the storage unit 13, theoutput unit 14, and the control unit 15 are connected to one another ina communicable manner via, for example, an in-vehicle network such as acontroller area network (CAN) or the like or a leased line.

The communication unit 11 includes a communication module that isconnected to the network 40. The communication module corresponds to amobile communication standard, for example, 4th Generation (4G), 5thGeneration (5G) or the like, but is not limited thereto. Thecommunication module may correspond to any communication standard. Forexample, an in-vehicle communication instrument such as a datacommunication module (DCM) or the like may function as the communicationunit 11. In the present embodiment, each of the vehicles 10 is connectedto the network 40 via the communication unit 11. Thus, each of thevehicles 10 can communicate with the server 30 or the like.

The positioning unit 12 includes a receiver corresponding to a satellitepositioning system. The receiver corresponds to, for example, the GPS,but is not limited thereto. The receiver may correspond to any satellitepositioning system. For example, a car navigation device may function asthe positioning unit 12. Thus, the positioning unit 12 acquirespositional information on each of the vehicles 10. In the presentspecification, “the positional information” on each of the vehicles 10is information that makes it possible to specify a position of each ofthe vehicles 10 at a certain time point. The positional information oneach of the vehicles 10 may include, for example, information indicatinga date and a time point such as a clock time or the like, andinformation indicating a coordinate such as a latitude and a longitudeor the like. The positioning unit 12 may have a timekeeping function forgrasping a current time, which is used in acquiring the positionalinformation on each of the vehicles 10.

The storage unit 13 includes one or more memories. In the presentembodiment, each of “the memories” is, for example, a semiconductormemory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory or the like, but is notlimited thereto. Each of the memories included in the storage unit 13may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliarystorage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 13 stores any typeof information used for the operation of each of the vehicles 10. Forexample, the storage unit 13 may store a system program, an applicationprogram, a piece of incorporated software, or the like. The informationstored in the storage unit 13 may be updatable by, for example,information that is acquired from the network 40 via the communicationunit 11. The storage unit 13 may store, for example, vehicleidentification information for uniquely identifying each of the vehicles10. The vehicle identification information is, for example, a vehicleidentifier (ID) issued by the server 30, but is not limited thereto. Thevehicle identification information may include any type of informationsuch as a chassis number, a car registration number or the like of eachof the vehicles 10.

The output unit 14 outputs information in the form of sound, vibrations,an image or the like. The output unit 14 may include, for example, atleast one of a speaker, an oscillator, a display device and the like.The output unit 14 may output, for example, the positional informationon each of the vehicles 10, information indicating whether or not eachof the vehicles 10 is moving, or information on the passenger who is onboard each of the vehicles 10. For example, the output unit 14 maynotify a driver of each of the vehicles 10 that the user of the terminaldevice 20 is on board as a passenger, by displaying information on thedisplay device.

The control unit 15 is equipped with one or more processors. The controlunit 15 may control the above-mentioned communication unit 11, theabove-mentioned positioning unit 12, the above-mentioned storage unit13, and the above-mentioned output unit 14 to realize the functionsthereof respectively. For example, an electronic control unit (ECU)mounted in each of the vehicles 10 may function as the control unit 15.In the present embodiment, each of “the processors” is a general-purposeprocessor, a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, orthe like, but is not limited thereto.

The process of each of the vehicles 10, which is realized through thecontrol of the respective functions of each of the vehicles 10 by thecontrol unit 15, will be described hereinafter. For example, each of thevehicles 10 repeatedly transmits the positional information on each ofthe vehicles 10 acquired through the use of the positioning unit 12,from the communication unit 11 to the server 30 at predeterminedtimings. In the present specification, “repetition at predeterminedtimings” means, for example, repetition at predetermined time intervals,but is not limited thereto. For example, “repetition at predeterminedtimings” may include regular or non-regular repetition at arbitrarytimings such as timings when acceleration, deceleration, stoppage or thelike of each of the vehicles 10 is detected, or the like. The controlunit 15 may transmit, to the server 30, the above-mentioned vehicleidentification information for uniquely identifying each of the vehicles10 as well as the positional information on each of the vehicles 10.

(Configuration of Terminal Device) The configuration of each of theterminal devices 20 in the information processing system 1 will bedescribed in detail. As shown in FIG. 3 in the form of a block diagram,each of the terminal devices 20 is equipped with a terminalcommunication unit 21, a terminal positioning unit 22, a terminalstorage unit 23, a terminal output unit 24, and a terminal control unit25. The terminal communication unit 21, the terminal positioning unit22, the terminal storage unit 23, the terminal output unit 24, and theterminal control unit 25 are connected to one another in such a manneras to enable wired communication or wireless communication.

The terminal communication unit 21 includes a communication module thatis connected to the network 40. The communication module corresponds to,for example, a mobile communication standard such as 4G, 5G or the like,but is not limited thereto. The communication module may correspond toany communication standard. In the present embodiment, each of theterminal devices 20 is connected to the network 40 via the terminalcommunication unit 21. Thus, each of the terminal devices 20 cancommunicate with the server 30 or the like.

The terminal positioning unit 22 includes a receiver corresponding tothe satellite positioning system. The receiver corresponds to, forexample, the GPS, but is not limited thereto. The receiver maycorrespond to any satellite positioning system. Thus, the terminalpositioning unit 22 acquires positional information on each of theterminal devices 20. In the present specification, “the positionalinformation” on each of the terminal devices 20 is information thatmakes it possible to specify a position of each of the terminal devices20 at a certain time point. The positional information on each of theterminal devices 20 may include, for example, information indicating adate and a time point such as a clock time or the like, and informationindicating a coordinate such as a latitude and a longitude or the like.The terminal positioning unit 22 may have a timekeeping function forgrasping a current time, which is used in acquiring the positionalinformation on each of the terminal devices 20.

The terminal storage unit 23 includes one or more memories. Each of thememories included in the terminal storage unit 23 may function as, forexample, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cachememory. The terminal storage unit 23 stores any type of information usedfor the operation of each of the terminal devices 20. For example, theterminal storage unit 23 may store a system program, an applicationprogram, a piece of incorporated software, or the like. The informationstored in the terminal storage unit 23 may be updatable by, for example,information that is acquired from the network 40 via the terminalcommunication unit 21. The terminal storage unit 23 may store, forexample, terminal identification information for uniquely identifyingeach of the terminal devices 20. The terminal identification informationis, for example, a terminal ID issued by the server 30, but is notlimited thereto. The terminal identification information may include anytype of information such as a manufacturing number or the like of eachof the terminal devices 20.

The terminal storage unit 23 may further store user identificationinformation for identifying the user of each of the terminal devices 20.The user identification information is, for example, a user ID issued bythe server 30, but is not limited thereto. The user identificationinformation may include any type of information such as a login ID foreach of the terminal devices 20 or the like. In the presentspecification, the terminal identification information and the useridentification information are described as pieces of information thatare different from each other, but are not limited thereto. For example,in the case where each of the terminal devices 20 is a terminal deviceof a single user, the amount of information stored in the server 30 canbe restrained from increasing, by using the terminal identificationinformation as the user identification information. On the other hand,in the case where each of the terminal devices 20 is a multi-userterminal device, the on-board state of each user can be managed bymanaging the terminal identification information and the useridentification information separately from each other.

The terminal output unit 24 outputs information in the form of sound,vibrations, an image or the like. The terminal output unit 24 mayinclude, for example, at least one of a speaker, an oscillator, adisplay device and the like. The terminal output unit 24 may outputpositional information on each of the terminal devices 20, informationindicating whether or not each of the terminal devices 20 is moving, orinformation on each of the vehicles 10 which the user of each of theterminal devices 20 is on board. For example, the terminal output unit24 may notify the user of each of the terminal devices 20 that the userof each of the terminal devices 20 is on board each of the vehicles 10as a passenger, by displaying information on the display device.

The terminal control unit 25 is equipped with one or more processors.The terminal control unit 25 may control the above-mentioned terminalcommunication unit 21, the above-mentioned terminal positioning unit 22,the above-mentioned terminal storage unit 23, and the above-mentionedterminal output unit 24 to realize the functions thereof respectively.

A process of each of the terminal devices 20, which is realized throughthe control of the respective functions of each of the terminal devices20 by the terminal control unit 25, will be described hereinafter. Forexample, each of the terminal devices 20 repeatedly transmits useridentification information for identifying the user of each of theterminal devices 20 and positional information on each of the terminaldevices 20 acquired through the use of the terminal positioning unit 22,from the terminal communication unit 21 to the server 30 atpredetermined timings. In the present specification, “repetition atpredetermined timings” means repetition at predetermined time intervalsas described above, but is not limited thereto. “Repetition atpredetermined timings” may include regular or non-regular repetition atarbitrary timings such as timings when acceleration, deceleration,stoppage or the like of each of the terminal devices 20 is detected, orthe like. The terminal control unit 25 may transmit, to the server 30,the above-mentioned terminal identification information for uniquelyidentifying each of the terminal devices 20 as well as the positionalinformation on each of the terminal devices 20.

(Configuration of Server) As shown in FIG. 4 in the form of a blockdiagram, the server 30 is equipped with a server communication unit 31,a server storage unit 32, and a server control unit 33. The servercommunication unit 31, the server storage unit 32, and the servercontrol unit 33 are connected to one another in such a manner as toenable wired communication or wireless communication.

The server communication unit 31 includes a communication module that isconnected to the network 40. The communication module corresponds to astandard, for example, a wired local area network (LAN), a wireless LANor the like, but is not limited thereto. The communication module maycorrespond to any communication standard. In the present embodiment, theserver 30 is connected to the network 40 via the server communicationunit 31. Thus, the server 30 can communicate with each of the vehicles10 and each of the terminal devices 20.

The server storage unit 32 includes one or more memories. Each of thememories included in the server storage unit 32 may function as, forexample, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cachememory. The server storage unit 32 stores any type of information usedfor the operation of the server 30. For example, the server storage unit32 may store a system program, an application program, a database or thelike. The information stored in the server storage unit 32 may beupdatable by, for example, information that is acquired from the network40 via the server communication unit 31.

The server storage unit 32 may store, for example, the above-mentionedvehicle identification information for uniquely identifying each of thevehicles 10, the above-mentioned terminal identification information foruniquely identifying each of the terminal devices 20, and theabove-mentioned user identification information for uniquely identifyingthe user of each of the terminal devices 20. The server storage unit 32may store information on each of the vehicles 10 such as informationindicating a stop scheduled position of each of the vehicles 10, inconnection with the vehicle identification information on each of thevehicles 10. The stop scheduled position of each of the vehicles 10 maybe fixed as a specific position, for example, a bus stop for a routebus. Alternatively, the stop scheduled position of each of the vehicles10 may change as in the case of the riding position of a shared bus or ataxi. In the case where the stop scheduled position of each of thevehicles 10 changes, this position may be updated based on informationreceived from each of the vehicles 10 or each of the terminal devices20. Besides, the server storage unit 32 may store information on theuser of each of the terminal devices 20 that is used for payment of afare, such as information on a name, a billing address, a bank account,a credit card of the user and the like, in connection with the useridentification information on each of the terminal devices 20. Thus, theserver 30 can ask the user of each of the terminal devices 20 to pay thefare etc., via the network 40. Accordingly, the user of each of theterminal devices 20 can utilize each of the vehicles 10 withoutperforming the operation of paying the fare or the like, so theuser-friendliness of the art of managing on-board information on atleast one passenger in each of the vehicles is improved.

The server control unit 33 includes one or more processors. The servercontrol unit 33 may control the above-mentioned server communicationunit 31 and the above-mentioned server storage unit 32 to realize thefunctions thereof respectively.

A process of the server 30, which is realized through the control of therespective functions of the server 30 by the server control unit 33,will be described hereinafter. Upon receiving positional information oneach of the vehicles 10 from each of the vehicles 10, the server 30stores this information into the server storage unit 32. As shown in,for example, FIG. 5, the server 30 may store the vehicle identificationinformation on each of the vehicles 10 and information indicating a timepoint and a coordinate included in the positional information on each ofthe vehicles 10 into the server storage unit 32, in association with avehicle positional information ID. The vehicle positional information IDis information for uniquely identifying the positional information oneach of the vehicles 10 received by the server 30 from each of thevehicles 10. The vehicle positional information ID is automaticallygenerated, for example, upon receiving the positional information oneach of the vehicles 10.

Besides, upon receiving the user identification information foridentifying the user of each of the terminal devices 20 and thepositional information on each of the terminal devices 20 from each ofthe terminal devices 20, the server 30 stores this information into theserver storage unit 32. As shown in, for example, FIG. 6, the server 30may store the terminal identification information on each of theterminal devices 20, the user identification information on each of theterminal devices 20, and information indicating a time point and acoordinate included in the positional information on each of theterminal devices 20 into the server storage unit 32, in association witha terminal positional information ID. The terminal positionalinformation ID is information for uniquely identifying the positionalinformation on each of the terminal devices 20 received by the server 30from each of the terminal devices 20. The terminal positionalinformation ID is automatically generated, for example, upon receivingthe positional information on each of the terminal devices 20.

The server 30 determines, based on the positional information on each ofthe vehicles 10 and the positional information on each of the terminaldevices 20, whether or not each of the terminal devices 20 is located ina reference region within a predetermined distance from each of thevehicles 10. In the present specification, “the reference region” is aregion within the predetermined distance from the position of each ofthe vehicles 10, with respect to the position of each of the vehicles10. In the present embodiment, the reference region is a region in atwo-dimensional space. However, the reference region may be a region ina one-dimensional space or a three-dimensional space. For example, theserver 30 may set a region surrounded by a virtual geographicalborderline obtained by linking spots at the predetermined distance fromeach of the vehicles 10, based on the positional information on each ofthe vehicles 10, and adopt this region as the reference region. Theserver 30 may determine whether or not each of the terminal devices 20is located in the reference region, depending on whether or not theposition of each of the terminal devices 20 is included in the setregion surrounded by the virtual geographical borderline. The virtualgeographical borderline will be referred to hereinafter also as “ageofence”, and the region surrounded by the virtual geographicalborderline will be referred to hereinafter also as “a geofence region”.The geofence region of each of the vehicles 10 may be, for example, acircular or spherical region whose radius is equal to a predetermineddistance, around the position of each of the vehicles 10. Thepredetermined distance may be arbitrarily determined in accordance with,for example, a measurement accuracy of the satellite positioning system,a measurement frequency of the positional information on each of thevehicles 10 or each of the terminal devices 20, or the like. Forexample, in the case where the error of the positional information thatis measured by the positioning unit 12 of each of the vehicles 10 rangesfrom several meters to about 10 meters, the predetermined distance maybe a distance equal to or longer than the error. When it is determinedthat each of the terminal devices 20 is located in the reference region,the server 30 determines, based on the user identification informationon each of the terminal devices 20, that the user of each of theterminal devices 20 is on board each of the vehicles 10.

If it is determined that each of the terminal devices 20 is successivelylocated in the reference region at at least two different time points,the server 30 may determine, based on the user identificationinformation, that the user of each of the terminal devices 20 is onboard each of the vehicles 10. For example, the server 30 may calculate,from the positional information on each of the vehicles 10 and thepositional information on each of the terminal devices 20 that have beenmeasured at the at least two different time points, a distance betweeneach of the vehicles 10 and each of the terminal devices 20 at each ofthe time points. The server 30 may determine that the user of each ofthe terminal devices 20 is on board each of the vehicles 10 when it isdetermined that the calculated distance between each of the vehicles 10and each of the terminal devices 20 is successively shorter than apredetermined distance at a plurality of time points. Besides, theserver 30 may calculate, based on the positional information on each ofthe vehicles 10 and the positional information on each of the terminaldevices 20 at the at least two different time points, movementinformation on each of the vehicles 10 and movement information on eachof the terminal devices 20. The movement information on each of thevehicles 10 or the movement information on each of the terminal devices20 is information indicating how each of the vehicles 10 or each of theterminal devices 20 has moved, and may include, for example, at leastone of a moving distance, a moving direction, a moving path, a movingspeed and the like. The server 30 may compare the calculated movementinformation on each of the vehicles 10 and the calculated movementinformation on each of the terminal devices 20 with each other, anddetermine that the user of each of the terminal devices 20 is on boardeach of the vehicles 10 when it is determined that both the pieces ofmovement information successively overlap with each other at a pluralityof time points. Thus, the possibility of the server 30 erroneouslydetermining, due to errors in the measured positional information oneach of the vehicles 10 and the measured positional information on eachof the terminal devices 20 or the like, that the user of each of theterminal devices 20 is on board each of the vehicles 10 can be reduced.

The server 30 may determine, based on the positional information on eachof the vehicles 10, whether or not each of the vehicles 10 is moving,and change the predetermined distance depending on a result of thedetermination as to whether or not each of the vehicles 10 is moving.For example, the predetermined distance in the case where it isdetermined that each of the vehicles 10 is moving may be longer than thepredetermined distance in the case where it is determined that each ofthe vehicles 10 is not moving. The server 30 determines whether or noteach of the vehicles 10 is moving, through the use of, for example, theabove-mentioned movement information on each of the vehicles 10. Theserver 30 may lengthen the predetermined distance and widen the area ofthe reference region when it is determined that each of the vehicles 10is moving. Besides, the server 30 may shorten the predetermined distanceand narrow the area of the reference region when it is determined thateach of the vehicles 10 is not moving. Thus, the server 30 can reducethe possibility of erroneously determining that the user of each of theterminal devices 20 is not on board each of the vehicles 10, by wideningthe reference region while each of the vehicles 10 is moving, namely,while the accuracy of positional measurement by the satellitepositioning system tends to fall. On the other hand, the server 30 canreduce the amount of processing in the server 30 for searching for eachof the terminal devices 20 that can exist in the reference region, bynarrowing the reference region where it is determined that the user ison board each of the vehicles 10 while each of the vehicles 10 isstopped, namely, while the accuracy of positional measurement isenhanced.

The server 30 may determine the position of each of the vehicles 10 oreach of the terminal devices 20 at the time when each of the terminaldevices 20 enters the reference region, as an on-board position wherethe user of each of the terminal devices 20 gets on each of the vehicles10, and determine the position of each of the vehicles 10 or each of theterminal devices 20 at the time when each of the terminal devices 20leaves the reference region, as an off-board position where the user ofeach of the terminal devices 20 gets off each of the vehicles 10. Thus,the server 30 can ask the user of each of the terminal devices 20 to paythe fare corresponding to the distance over which the user is on boardeach of the vehicles 10, the time during which the user is on board eachof the vehicles 10, or the like. The server 30 may further determine,through the use of information indicating the above-mentioned stopscheduled position of each of the vehicles 10, an on-board spot or anoff-board spot when it is determined that each of the vehicles 10 andeach of the terminal devices 20 are both located in a region within apredetermined distance from the stop scheduled position of each of thevehicles 10. Thus, the possibility of the server 30 erroneouslydetermining, due to errors in the measured positional information oneach of the vehicles 10 and the measured positional information on eachof the terminal devices 20 or the like, that the position of each of thevehicles 10 or each of the terminal devices 20 at the time when each ofthe terminal devices 20 temporarily enters or leaves a region within thepredetermined distance from each of the vehicles 10 as the on-boardposition or the off-board position can be reduced. Accordingly, theaccuracy in determining that the user of each of the terminal devices 20is on board each of the vehicles 10 is enhanced.

The server 30 can use the result of the determination as to whether ornot the user of each of the terminal devices 20 is on board each of thevehicles 10, for any purpose. For example, the server 30 can calculatethe fare for a ride in each of the vehicles 10 to be paid by the user ofeach of the terminal devices 20, store an on-board history of the userof each of the terminal devices 20, etc., based on the result of thedetermination as to whether or not the user of each of the terminaldevices 20 is on board each of the vehicles 10. The server 30 maytransmit, to at least one of each of the vehicles 10 and each of theterminal devices 20, the result of the determination as to whether ornot the user of each of the terminal devices 20 is on board each of thevehicles 10. Thus, each of the vehicles 10 or each of the terminaldevices 20 can notify the driver of each of the vehicles 10, the user ofeach of the terminal devices 20 or the like that the user of each of theterminal devices 20 is on board each of the vehicles 10. As a result,the user-friendliness of the art of managing on-board information on atleast one passenger in each of the vehicles is improved.

(Example of On-board Determination in Information Processing System) Anon-board determination that is made in the information processing systemwill be described hereinafter referring to a concrete example. FIG. 7 isa view showing positional information on each of the vehicles 10 andeach of the terminal devices 20 that have been specified by theinformation processing system. In FIG. 7, pieces of positionalinformation on each of the vehicles 10 at time points t1 to t7 areindicated by black triangles respectively, and pieces of positionalinformation on each of the terminal devices 20 at time points t′1 to t′7are indicated by black circles respectively. Each of the vehicles 10acquires the positional information on each of the vehicles 10 at thetime points t1 to t7, and repeatedly transmits the acquired positionalinformation to the server 30. As is the case with each of the vehicles10, each of the terminal devices 20 also acquires the positionalinformation on each of the terminal devices 20 at the time points t′1 tot′7, and repeatedly transmits the acquired positional information aswell as the user identification information for identifying the user ofeach of the terminal devices 20 to the server 30. At this time, the timepoints t1 to t7 included in the positional information on each of thevehicles 10 and the time points t′1 to t′7 included in the positionalinformation on each of the terminal devices 20 are not required tocoincide with each other respectively, but may be different from eachother within such an error range that they can be regarded as coincidentwith each other respectively.

The server 30 determines, based on the positional information on each ofthe vehicles 10 and the positional information on each of the terminaldevices 20, whether or not each of the terminal devices 20 is located inthe reference region within the predetermined distance from each of thevehicles 10. In the drawing, each reference region is indicated by acircle around the position of each of the vehicles 10 indicated by theblack triangle. The positions of each of the terminal devices 20 at thetime points t′1 and t′2 are not located in the reference regions at thetime points t1 and t2 respectively. Accordingly, the server 30determines that the user of each of the terminal devices 20 is not onboard each of the vehicles 10. The position of each of the terminaldevices 20 at the time point t′3 is located in the reference region atthe time point t3. Accordingly, the server 30 determines that the userof each of the terminal devices 20 got on each of the vehicles 10 at thetime point t3, namely, that the user of each of the terminal devices 20is on board each of the vehicles 10 at the time point t3. The positionsof each of the terminal devices 20 at the time points t′4 and t′5 arealso successively located in the reference regions at the time points t4and t5, respectively. Accordingly, the server 30 determines that theuser of each of the terminal devices 20 is on board each of the vehicles10 at the time points t4 and t5.

After that, the position of each of the terminal devices 20 at the timepoint t′6 is located in the reference region at the time point t6, butthe position of each of the terminal devices 20 at the time point t′7 isnot located in the reference region at the time point t7. Accordingly,the server 30 determines that the user of each of the terminal devices20 got off each of the vehicles 10 at the time point t6. Thus, theserver 30 can determine that the user of each of the terminal devices 20has been on board each of the vehicles 10 from the position of each ofthe vehicles 10 at the time point t3 to the position of each of thevehicles 10 at the time point t6.

(Processing Flow of Server) The flow of the process of the server 30will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

In step S101, the server 30 repeatedly receives the positionalinformation on each of the vehicles 10 from each of the vehicles 10, atthe predetermined timings.

In step S102, the server 30 repeatedly receives, from each of theterminal devices 20, user identification information for identifying theuser of each of the terminal devices 20 and positional information oneach of the terminal devices 20, at the predetermined timings.

In step S103, the server 30 determines, based on the positionalinformation on each of the vehicles 10 and the positional information oneach of the terminal devices 20, whether or not each of the terminaldevices 20 is located in the reference region within the predetermineddistance from each of the vehicles 10.

If it is determined that each of the terminal devices 20 is located inthe reference region (Yes in step S103), the server 30 determines instep S104 that the user of each of the terminal devices 20 is on boardeach of the vehicles 10.

If it is determined that each of the terminal devices 20 is not locatedin the reference region (No in step S103), the server 30 determines instep S105 that the user of each of the terminal devices 20 is not onboard each of the vehicles 10.

As described above, the information processing system 1 according to thepresent embodiment includes the vehicles 10, the terminal devices 20,and the server 30 that can communicate with the vehicles 10 and theterminal devices 20. Each of the vehicles 10 repeatedly transmitspositional information on each of the vehicles 10 to the server 30 atthe predetermined timings. Each of the terminal devices 20 repeatedlytransmits user identification information for identifying the user ofeach of the terminal devices 20 and positional information on each ofthe terminal devices 20 to the server 30 at the predetermined timings.The server 30 determines, based on the positional information on each ofthe vehicles 10 and the positional information on each of the terminaldevices 20, whether or not each of the terminal devices 20 is located inthe reference region within the predetermined distance from each of thevehicles 10. When it is determined that each of the terminal devices 20is located in the reference region, the server 30 determines, based onthe user identification information, that the user of each of theterminal devices 20 is on board each of the vehicles 10. According tothis configuration, the information processing system 1 can determinewhether or not there is at least one passenger on board each of thevehicles 10, by communicating with each of the terminal devices 20 heldby the passenger, without asking the passenger of each of the vehicles10 to perform the operation of placing a noncontact IC card over areading device or the like. Accordingly, the user-friendliness of theart of managing on-board information on at least one passenger in eachof the vehicles 10 is improved.

In the information processing system 1 according to the presentembodiment, when it is determined that each of the terminal devices 20is successively located in the reference region at the at least twodifferent time points, the server 30 can determine, based on the useridentification information, that the user of each of the terminaldevices 20 is on board each of the vehicles 10. According to thisconfiguration, the possibility of the server 30 erroneously determining,due to errors in the measured positional information on each of thevehicles 10 and the measured positional information on each of theterminal devices 20 or the like, that the user of each of the terminaldevices 20 is on board each of the vehicles 10 can be reduced.

In the information processing system 1 according to the presentembodiment, the server 30 can determine, based on the positionalinformation on each of the vehicles 10, whether or not each of thevehicles 10 is moving, and change the predetermined distance based onthe result of the determination as to whether or not each of thevehicles 10 is moving. In more concrete terms, the predetermineddistance in the case where it is determined that each of the vehicles 10is moving can be made longer than the predetermined distance in the casewhere it is determined that each of the vehicles 10 is not moving.According to this configuration, the server 30 can reduce thepossibility of erroneously determining that the user of each of theterminal devices 20 is not on board each of the vehicles 10, by wideningthe area of the reference region, when the accuracy of positionalmeasurement through the use of the satellite positioning system falls.Besides, the server 30 can reduce the amount of processing in the server30 as to the determination as to whether or not the user of each of theterminal devices 20 is on board each of the vehicles 10, by narrowingthe area of the reference region, when the accuracy of positionalmeasurement through the use of the satellite positioning system rises.

In the information processing system 1 according to the presentembodiment, the reference region can be the geofence region that isdetermined based on the positional information on each of the vehicles10. According to this configuration, the reference region where it isdetermined that the user of each of the terminal devices 20 is on boardeach of the vehicles 10 also moves in accordance with the movement orthe like of each of the vehicles 10. Therefore, the accuracy of thisdetermination can be enhanced.

In the information processing system 1 according to the presentembodiment, the server 30 can determine the position of each of thevehicles 10 or each of the terminal devices 20 at the time when it isdetermined that each of the terminal devices 20 enters the referenceregion, as the on-board position where the user of each of the terminaldevices 20 gets on each of the vehicles 10, and determine the positionof each of the vehicles 10 or each of the terminal devices 20 at thetime when it is determined that each of the terminal devices 20 leavesthe reference region, as the off-board position where the user of eachof the terminal devices 20 gets off each of the vehicles 10. Accordingto this configuration, the server 30 can ask the user of each of theterminal devices 20 to pay the fare corresponding to the distance overwhich the user is on board each of the vehicles 10, the time duringwhich the user is on board each of the vehicles 10, or the like.

In the information processing system 1 according to the presentembodiment, the server 30 can store the information indicating the stopscheduled position of each of the vehicles 10, and determine theon-board position or the off-board position when it is determined thateach of the vehicles 10 and each of the terminal devices 20 are bothlocated in the region within the predetermined distance from the stopscheduled position of each of the vehicles 10. According to thisconfiguration, the possibility of the server 30 erroneously determiningthe position where the user of each of the terminal devices 20 gets onor off each of the vehicles 10 can be reduced, and hence the accuracy indetermining that the user of each of the terminal devices 20 is on boardeach of the vehicles 10 can be enhanced.

A program according to the present embodiment causes the server 30 thatcan communicate with each of the vehicles 10 and each of the terminaldevices 20 to carry out a step of repeatedly receiving, from each of thevehicles 10, positional information on each of the vehicles 10 atpredetermined timings, a step of repeatedly receiving, from each of theterminal devices 20, user identification information for identifying theuser of each of the terminal devices 20 and positional information oneach of the terminal devices 20 at predetermined timings, a step ofdetermining, based on the positional information on each of the vehicles10 and the positional information on each of the terminal devices 20,whether or not each of the terminal devices 20 is located in a referenceregion within a predetermined distance from each of the vehicles 10, anda step of determining that the user of each of the terminal devices 20is on board each of the vehicles 10 when it is determined that each ofthe terminal devices 20 is located in the reference region. According tothis configuration, the server 30 can determine whether or not there isat least one passenger on board each of the vehicles 10, bycommunicating with each of the terminal devices 20 held by thepassenger, without asking the passenger of each of the vehicles 10 toperform the operation of placing a noncontact IC card over a readingdevice or the like. Accordingly, the user-friendliness of the art ofmanaging on-board information on at least one passenger in each of thevehicles 10 is improved.

An information processing method according to the present embodiment isan information processing method that is carried out by the informationprocessing system 1 including the vehicles 10, the terminal devices 20,and the server 30 that can communicate with the vehicles 10 and theterminal devices 20. The information processing method includes a stepin which each of the vehicles 10 repeatedly transmits positionalinformation on each of the vehicles 10 to the server 30 at predeterminedtimings, a step in which each of the terminal devices 20 repeatedlytransmits user identification information for identifying a user of eachof the terminal devices 20 and positional information on each of theterminal devices 20 to the server 30 at predetermined timings, a step inwhich the server 30 determines, based on the positional information oneach of the vehicles 10 and the positional information on each of theterminal devices 20, whether or not each of the terminal devices 20 islocated in a reference region within a predetermined distance from eachof the vehicles 10, and a step of determining that the user of each ofthe terminal devices 20 is on board each of the vehicles 10, when it isdetermined that each of the terminal devices 20 is located in thereference region. According to this configuration, the informationprocessing system 1 can determine whether or not there is at least onepassenger on board each of the vehicles 10, by communicating with eachof the terminal devices 20 held by the passenger, without asking thepassenger of each of the vehicles 10 to perform the operation of placinga noncontact IC card over a reading device or the like. Accordingly, theuser-friendliness of the art of managing on-board information on atleast one passenger in each of the vehicles 10 is improved.

Although the disclosure has been described based on the various drawingsand the embodiment, it should be noted that those skilled in the art canmake various modifications and corrections based on the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it should be noted that these modifications andcorrections fall within the scope of the disclosure. For example, thefunctions and the like included in the respective means, the respectivesteps or the like can be rearranged such that no logical contradictionoccurs, and the plurality of the means, the plurality of the steps orthe like can be combined into one or divided.

For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the configuration inwhich the server 30 sets the reference region within the predetermineddistance based on the positional information on each of the vehicles 10has been described, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Thereference region may be set based on, for example, the positionalinformation on each of the terminal devices 20. The server 30 maydetermine whether or not each of the terminal devices 20 is located inthe reference region within the predetermined distance from each of thevehicles 10, depending on whether or not the position of each of thevehicles 10 is included in the reference region set based on thepositional information on each of the terminal devices 20.

Besides, for example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the functionsor processes described as the functions or processes of the server 30may be entirely or partially realized as the functions or processes ofeach of the vehicles 10 respectively. In concrete terms, a program inwhich the processing contents for realizing the respective functions ofthe server 30 according to the embodiment are described is stored intothe storage unit 13 such as the memory or the like of each of thevehicles 10, and this program is read out and executed by the controlunit 15 such as the processor or the like of each of the vehicles 10. Inthis case, each of the terminal devices 20 may repeatedly transmit theuser identification information for identifying the user of each of theterminal devices 20 and the positional information on each of theterminal devices 20 to each of the vehicles 10 at predetermined timings.

Besides, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which, forexample, a general-purpose information processing device such as asmartphone, a computer or the like is caused to function as each of thevehicles 10, each of the terminal devices 20 or the server 30 accordingto the above-mentioned embodiment. In concrete terms, a program in whichthe processing contents for realizing the respective functions of eachof the vehicles 10 or the like according to the embodiment are describedis stored into a memory of an electronic instrument, and this program isread out and executed by a processor of the electronic instrument.Accordingly, the disclosure according to the present embodiment can alsobe realized as a program that can be executed by a processor. Forexample, in the case where the general-purpose information processingdevice is caused to function as each of the vehicles 10, the disclosureaccording to the present embodiment can be realized by installing aninformation processing device having all, some or one of theabove-mentioned configurations and functions as the configurations andfunctions of each of the vehicles 10 in each of the vehicles 10.

Besides, for example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, theconfiguration in which the server 30 determines, based on the absolutepositional information on each of the vehicles 10 and the absolutepositional information on each of the terminal devices 20 that have beenacquired through the use of the satellite positioning system, whether ornot each of the terminal devices 20 is located in the reference regionwithin the predetermined distance from each of the vehicles 10 has beendescribed, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, thepositional information on each of the vehicles 10 and the positionalinformation on each of the terminal devices 20 may be, for example,relative information acquired based on short-distance radiocommunication between each of the vehicles 10 and each of the terminaldevices 20. For example, the relative positional information on each ofthe vehicles 10 and the relative positional information on each of theterminal devices 20 may be measured based on reception of a signaltransmitted to the region within the predetermined distance throughshort-distance radio communication from at least one of each of thevehicles 10 and each of the terminal devices 20 by the other of each ofthe vehicles 10 and each of the terminal devices 20, or a strength ofthe received signal. The server 30 may determine, based on the relativepositional information on each of the vehicles 10 and the relativepositional information on each of the terminal devices 20, whether ornot the user of each of the terminal devices 20 is on board each of thevehicles 10. Alternatively, the server 30 may specify, based on therelative positional information on each of the vehicles 10 and therelative positional information on each of the terminal devices 20, theposition where the user of each of the terminal devices 20 got on eachof the vehicles 10 or the position where the user of each of theterminal devices 20 got off each of the vehicles 10.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing system comprising: avehicle; a terminal device; and a server configured to communicate withthe vehicle and the terminal device, wherein: the vehicle repeatedlytransmits positional information on the vehicle to the server atpredetermined timings, the terminal device repeatedly transmits useridentification information that identifies a user of the terminal deviceand positional information on the terminal device to the server atpredetermined timings, and the predetermined timings of transmitting thepositional information of the terminal device is set to be when theterminal device is detected to accelerate or decelerate, and the serverdetermines whether the terminal device entered into a reference region,which is set to be within a predetermined threshold distance from thevehicle, which is a threshold set to determine whether the user waslocated in the vehicle, based on the positional information on theterminal device and the positional information on the vehicle.
 2. Theinformation processing system according to claim 1, wherein the server:determines a first position of the vehicle or a first position of theterminal device in response to determining the terminal device entersthe reference region, as an onboard position where the user of theterminal device enters the vehicle; and determines a second position ofthe vehicle or a second position of the terminal device in response todetermining that the terminal device exits the reference region, as anoff-board position where the user of the terminal device exits thevehicle.
 3. The information processing system according to claim 2,wherein the server determines a fare based on an amount of time betweena time when the terminal device moves to the onboard position until atime when the terminal device moves to the off-board position.
 4. Theinformation processing system according to claim 1, wherein the serverdetermines the predetermined threshold distance based on a measurementaccuracy of a global positioning system and a measurement frequency ofthe positional information of each of the vehicle and the terminaldevice.
 5. The information processing system according to claim 2,wherein the server includes a processor programmed to: in response todetermining that the user of the terminal device is on board thevehicle, transmit a notification to a vehicle driver that the user ofthe terminal device is on board.
 6. The information processing systemaccording to claim 2, wherein the server: stores information indicatinga stop scheduled position of the vehicle, and determines the on-boardposition or the off-board position in response to determining that thevehicle and the terminal device are both located in a region defined bya predetermined distance from the stop scheduled position of thevehicle.
 7. The information processing system according to claim 6,wherein the stop scheduled position changes when the vehicle is a taxi.8. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein theserver: determines movement information of the vehicle or movementinformation of the terminal device based on the positional informationof the vehicle and the positional information of the terminal device atat least two different time points; and compare the movement informationof the vehicle with the movement information of the terminal device todetermine that both the movement information of the vehicle and themovement information of the terminal device overlap at a plurality oftime points.
 9. The information processing system according to claim 1,wherein the server: stores on-board determination information based onwhether the user is determined to be located in the vehicle, andtransmits the on-board determination information to at least one of thevehicle and the terminal device.
 10. The information processing systemaccording to claim 9, wherein the user identification informationincludes payment information on the user that is used for payment of afare.
 11. The information processing system according to claim 10,wherein the server communicates with the terminal device based on theuser identification information to receive authorization to pay the fareusing on the payment information stored in a memory of the server. 12.The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein theserver determines relative positional information indicating a relativeposition between the vehicle and the terminal device based on thepositional information on the vehicle and the positional information onthe terminal device, the relative positional information being based ona communication range between the vehicle and the terminal device and adistance between a position of the vehicle and a position of theterminal device.
 13. The information processing system according toclaim 12, wherein the relative positional information is determinedbased on a strength of a received signal from short-distance radiocommunication from at least one of the terminal device or the vehicle bythe other one of the at least one of the terminal device or the vehicle.14. The information processing system according to claim 12, wherein theserver determines whether the user of the terminal device is on boardthe vehicle based on the determined relative positional information. 15.The information processing system according to claim 12, wherein theserver determines an onboard position where the user of the terminaldevice enters the vehicle and an off-board position where the user ofthe terminal device exits the vehicle based on the determined relativepositional information.
 16. The information processing system accordingto claim 1, wherein an information processing device is installed in thevehicle to perform processes of the vehicle.
 17. The informationprocessing system according to claim 1, wherein the reference region isa geofence region that is determined based on the positional informationon the vehicle.
 18. The information processing system according to claim17, wherein the geofence region is generated in a one-dimensional spaceor a three-dimensional space.
 19. A non-transitory computer readablestorage medium storing computer executable instructions that causes aserver, which is configured to communicate with a vehicle and a terminaldevice, to perform processes comprising: repeatedly receiving, from thevehicle, positional information on the vehicle at predetermined timings;repeatedly receiving, from the terminal device, user identificationinformation that identifies a user of the terminal device and positionalinformation on the terminal device at predetermined timings, and thepredetermined timings of transmitting the positional information of theterminal device is set to be when the terminal device is detected toaccelerate or decelerate; and determining whether the terminal deviceentered into a reference region, which is set to be within apredetermined threshold distance from the vehicle, the predeterminedthreshold distance being a threshold set to determine whether the userwas located in the vehicle, and the predetermined threshold distance isbased on the positional information on the terminal device and thepositional information on the vehicle.
 20. An information processingmethod that is carried out by an information processing system includinga vehicle, a terminal device, and a server configured to communicatewith the vehicle and the terminal device, the method comprising:repeatedly transmitting, by the vehicle, positional information on thevehicle to the server at predetermined timings; repeatedly transmitting,by the terminal device, user identification information that identifiesa user of the terminal device and positional information on the terminaldevice to the server at predetermined timings, and the predeterminedtimings of transmitting the positional information of the terminaldevice is set to be when the terminal device is detected to accelerateor decelerate; and determining, by the server, whether the terminaldevice enters into a reference region, which is set to be within apredetermined threshold distance from the vehicle, the predeterminedthreshold distance being a threshold set to determine whether the useris located in the vehicle, the predetermined threshold distance beingbased on the positional information on the terminal device and thepositional information on the vehicle.